1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing an enhanced Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for devices receiving broadcast content such as Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) programming. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating an enhanced EPG for display at a receiving device (e.g., a stationary or mobile SDARS radio receiver) that provides listings of content selected according to broadcast system affinities and a user's preferences.
2. Description of the Related Art
Products such as satellite radio receivers provide a rich set of entertainment options to users, including over 100 to 200 channels of concurrent audio programs, for example. However, challenges are presented by this huge set of entertainment choices. For example, how does a user easily find a program that is currently playing on one of the many concurrently received channels that is of interest to her? How does a user easily identify an upcoming program that might be of interest to him, and remember to listen to it when it starts playing? How does a user know what kind of content is played on a given channel, and if she likes it, how does she identify other similar channels? If a user is listening to the receiver while driving a car, as can be typical for satellite radio transmission, how can he or she explore the myriad of content choices without a safety risk due to driver distraction while operating the receiver?
Satisfying these needs provides benefits both to the product user and to the entertainment content service provider. To the user, enjoyment of the rich and diverse content is maximized through experiencing a variety of programming that matches the user's interest. With current receivers such as satellite radios, it is common for a user to eventually settle in to listening to only as many channels as can fit on a bank of 6 to 10 previously selected “preset” channels. Due to the extra effort required to search through hundreds of channels, a user will simply cycle through their presets to find something of interest, missing the many programs playing on other channels not in their presets. If it could be easier for the user to explore content across all channels, the user could experience a greater variety of entertainment and likely discover or locate content that is consistently of high interest to them.
For the content service provider, the business objective is keeping the users engaged and experiencing the content, whether the service is a paid subscription service or an advertiser-paid service like high definition (HD) radio or internet streaming. To the extent the user can experience a greater variety of content and content of highest personal interest, the value of the service is raised to that user. This results in a higher level of engagement and commitment from the user, with positive effects on the service provider's business.
The use of a conventional or traditional Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for providing current and upcoming content on multiple channels is available for television and radio broadcasting. The traditional provision of a visual EPG in a receiver is helpful, by providing a listing of content typically arranged in a grid of date/time along the x-axis and channels along the y-axis. Within the grid, information about each scheduled program is presented. Through User Interface (UI) controls provided by the receiver, the user can shift the display left and right to see programs at different times and up and down to see programs on different channels.
A traditional EPG UI is certainly a better means for finding interesting content than simply tuning and listening to or viewing each channel. However, the traditional EPG UI does not fully satisfy the needs described above, particularly in an environment like a vehicle where use and attention to the receiver UI must be minimized to maintain driver safety. Perusing the traditional EPG UI still requires significant attention from the user, making it impractical as a resource for a car driver or in any situation where the user does not have the time or patience to work with and navigate through the EPG.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method that provides personalized content to a user by selectively enhancing enjoyment of the received SDARS or other broadcast content by recommending content according to content or broadcast affinity data and user preferences.